Promises Are Meant To Be Broken
by love theresa
Summary: A typical 16 year-old just wanted to move on from the past. But what can she do when everything reminds her of what happened? As she tries to make a fresh new start, she encounters challenges and decisions - that could change her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

**Not For You**

"Kristen!" I lifted up my head and found Abby running towards me. "I missed you soooo much!" She smiled at me, and I nodded back. "Yeah. Feels weird to be back, you know?" Abby sipped on her latte, as we sat by the bench, the bench we sat at for years, together. I looked over to her. She hasn't changed much, I thought. Abby was still the same girl I knew for years, short brown hair, big brown eyes and a pouty lips. She was still about 5"2. "So, what's changed?" I turned and lifted an eyebrow. "Well, you remember Tiffany?" I nodded, tall, blonde and a bitch - as always. "Yeah, well.. She took over the dance team as soon as you left." Abby stammered. My mouth dropped open. "ABBY!" I screamed."What? We couldn't do anything about it, no one knew what to do, and you know that you're the only person who would stand up to her." Abby bit her lip and pointed at Santa Monica High. "Things there? They've been.. different since you decided to jet off to New York for … well. Yeah."

"Abby, you know I had no choice. But now, I'm back. How did things, well, um change?" I bit my lip, hoping she wouldn't bring up Trevor. "Like I said, Tiffany and the dance thing was the major difference. Principal Kendwall retired, and our old Geometry teacher's our principal, way weird." She waved those thoughts like they weren't important. "What else? Oh, we have a new swimming team, you should so try out." Abby smiled at me and eyed my phone, which has been beeping ever since she sat down. "You should get that," she commented. "Huh? Oh, no. It's nothing important." I flicked off my phone and shoved it in my bag. "So now Mrs. Jenson's is Principal Jenson? That's unexpected." Abby stood up, grabbed my arm and said, "Well, now that you're back, shall we go with the usual?" She smiled, and I noticed her braces were gone. "Yeah, why not?" I giggled and we rushed off to the mall."Kristen? KRIS? Is that you?" I spun around in the fitting rooms and faced Tiffany. "O-M-G. IT IS! When'd you get back, why didn't you call me? Are you staying?" She flipped her long blonde, now straight hair over her shoulders. Abby appeared to my side in seconds. "Shut up, Tiffany. You knew she was coming back, the whole school knew." Abby said through her teeth. Abby and I - we've been friends since middle school. We never liked Tiffany, or her friends, who we call the 'Tiff-bots.' They dressed exactly like her, and followed her everywhere. They were like, mini hers. It's hilarious. Tiffany rolled her eyes. "Was I talking to you?" she spat. She turned back to me, and pulled my arm towards the mirrors. I could feel Abby's eyes burning into Tiffany's back as she went back into her dressing room. "So?" Tiffany asked."Yeah, I just flew in last night. Sorry, I was unpacking." I said. "That's alright." She cleared her throat, and I knew she wanted to know if I was staying or not.I smiled, "And yeah, I'm staying." She raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth. "Well-"I cut her off. "Listen, Tiff. We should catch up some other time, you know? I should get back to Abby.""Yeah, okay. I'll call ya tonight?" She called as I walked away. I nodded without looking at her before going back into the fitting room."What the HELL was that?" Abby demanded as soon as we left the store. I folded my receipt and shoved it in my wallet. "What, Tiffany?" we walked towards the food court and found a seat right by Starbucks."YEAH. Why were you all buddy buddy with her?" Abby questioned as she sat down, placing her shopping bags in the empty seat. "What are you talking about? You know I don't like her." I laughed. "Hey, what do you want?" I dug through my bag for my wallet."I'm not hungry." Abby sat back in her seat and took out her iPhone, so I shrugged and went online. "Okay, so where are we hitting next?" I asked as I sat back down. I took a sip of my iced tea and looked at gave me a funny look, "What are you drinking?""Uh, iced tea?" I answered

"Yeah, but why?" She reached over to my biscotti with her perfectly manicured purple fingers."I've laid off the coffee." I smiled. "That's not like you! You used to drink two cups a day, now down to none? You're an inspiration, Kris." Abby laughed.

I tied my hair back into a ponytail as I continued to empty the boxes that were filling up my room. But something caught my eye, my phone was vibrating on my bed. I flopped back and saw 'Tiffany Bells' flashing on my screen. How about, no? I thought and hit Reject.

I walked through the halls of Santa Monica High and breathed in the warm air. _Locker 219_ my card read. What classes were I taking this year? I rummaged through my bag and looked for my schedule, "Where is-" "Whoa, sorry! Didn't see you there." I blinked and sighed when I saw my books all over the first floor. I looked up and faced a tall and brown haired guy, who was holding a football. "Oh. It's okay. I wasn't looking." He leaned down to help me pick up my books, and took a look at the crumpled schedule. "That's a lot of AP classes for an eleventh grader." He grinned. "I'm Nate." He held out his right hand, so I took it."Kristen. And yeah, my parents are always encouraging me to try to do my best.." I said. "Well, I gotta go, my friend's waiting for me." Instead, Nate moved in front of me, "Where's your locker? I could walk you there. I mean, you're new right?" I kept walking and eyed him doing one of those guy handshakes Gary Portman - I think? He was a friend of Trevor's. "It's on the second floor, and I'll be fine. I'm not new." Nate coughed and stiffened up but still walked with me. I was staring down at my phone, wondering where Abby was when I realized people were staring at me. I just felt it. I looked up and around, and noticed that my past class and school mates were all staring at me, and whispering. "She's, really, like..back?" I heard. Katie snickered. She was a 'Tiff-bot'. I looked over and flashed one of my smiles. Her blue eyes widened and she turned away. I continued down the long hall, and so did Nate. "Why are you following me?" I stopped and asked him. "I'm - uh, not?" Nate flickered his eyes. "I have to speak to the Coach.""Isn't he that way?" I pointed in the direction we just walked from. His eyes followed my finger, and he opened his mouth but didn't say anything. I looked at his face, with the soft brown eyes and a perfect teeth. "Yeah? But you know, helping a fellow school friend out never does any damage."

"I told you. I'm not new." I stalked up the stairs, and noticed that he didn't follow.I found a seat by the window, the only one. It was in the back, and I groaned. That meant I had to go through rows of familiar faces. Everyone waved or said hello, leaving me no choice. I didn't want to be rude. I sat down and took out my binder, when I heard the laugh. His laugh. It was Trevor and he was in my homeroom. I continued to talk to Natalie, a girl I knew since the beginning of high school. I hope she didn't notice I had crossed my fingers, begging that Trevor didn't see me. But, unfortunately as soon as my teacher- "Ms. E" walked in, she called out my name. "Kristen Jacobs?" Her voice rung through the loud classroom, and then there was an awkward silence. I raised my hand, as everyone turned to me. Trevor went from laughing with his friends to not even saying breathing. I looked at him and he smiled. "Kristen, do you have your schedule?" Ms E asked."Um, yeah. I got it in the office a few days ago." I murmured. "Well, welcome to Santa Monica! Or should I say, welcome back?"I nodded. That was the first "welcome back" I got since I arrived. When the bell finally rang, I darted for the door and hoped that Trevor wouldn't catch up. But, being the super jock he was, he did. "Kris!" He called. I stopped when his hand held onto my arm. "What?" I asked back icily. The whole class had their eyes on us, and I didn't care. "Do you have anything to say? Another sorry, another plead? I'm not back for you, dumbass. Don't think that I forgot about Erika." He let go and just stared at me. I heard a few whispers and gasps behind me, even Ms. E was staring. I turned around and walked down the corridor and thought, Why the hell did I come back?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:  
I'm Kidding, Ofcourse.**

"Hey." I felt a tap on my shoulders while I was talking to some of my old friends - before I left, that is. Sara coughed, "Stalker 6 o'clock." It was Trevor, again. I turned around. "Again, really?""Can we, just..talk?" He said nervously. I knew he was nervous, because his face flushed a tint of pink and he didn't stay still. "Okay. Talk." I folded my arms looked right at him. His eyes darted at the eyes that were now on us, as usual. Sara and Nicole tugged on me and whispered, "We have practice." I nodded. "Yeah, I have practice. So say anything you want to." Trevor stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Can we meet after school later? At the café. I'll buy."I stiffened. That's where our last fight was. "I don't drink coffee anymore." Then, as quiet as the lunch room was, I walked away with my friends. "Oh my god, Kris. I can't believe you just turned down Trevor!" Sara squealed. I laughed. I missed her overly dramatic self - it got annoying sometimes, but she's like a ball of sunshine. "Yeah, so why? Is there some other guy?" Nicole nudged me in the hip. I giggled. "Maybe?" They stopped dead as I started to walk faster towards the gym. "WHAT?" they yelped. "A five, a five, six, sev-" Tiffany stopped and stared at me. "Kristen..! What a surprise." Abby turned around and she gleamed. She ran towards me and said, "I knew you'd come!"

"Five minutes, girls!" Tiffany shouted. The girls shrugged and walked over to the benches, flipped out their phones and pretended that they had no interest in the conversation Tiffany and I were just about to have. She jogged towards me, and faked a smile. "Are you back on?""Why else would I be here? To see you attempt to teach the girls how to dance?" Tiffany's face froze. I heard some girls snicker. "I'm kidding, of course." But everyone knew I wasn't, even Tiffany. "Well, I'm sure we can fit in an audition for you, Kristen. How about tomorrow - "Sara cut in, "Tiffany, everyone knows this is Kris' team. She doesn't need to audition."Tiffany's piercing blue eyes flicked to Sara, then to the team and then back to me. I cleared my throat. "I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind if we were Co-Captains, right?" I titled my head towards everyone.

We went out to the fields, only to catch - the football team, of course. I saw Nate point over in my direction a few times. When he finally waved, I waved back and smiled. Since Trevor was also on the football team, he probably saw. And what better way to get back at him then to get with another guy?As we waited on the steps of SM High, Abby kept on talking about what color she should dye her hair with. Tiffany and her 'Tiff-bots' were to our left, in their own little huddle. When Abby finally stopped, she looked at me. "Kris? Is something wrong? You seem to have a lot on your mind." I looked back at her and smiled. That's why I loved Abbey. She knew how to say the words that were hard for me to say. "Want me to come over?" She put down her new Marc Jacobs bag and took our her phone. "Let me call my mom." She walked towards the street, and I took out my phone. It blinked: 2 unread messages, 5 missed calls. I scrolled down, and listened to my voicemail. "Kristen! Hey, it's Tim. I can't pick you up after your practice ends, so just walk home for today. Sorry, I got caught up in work. Tell Mom I said hi." I groaned and sat down at the steps. "NEXT MESSAGE." my phone said. "Kristen, why won't you ever answer me? Call me back when you have time, I know you're ignoring me." "END OF MESSAGES." Abby walked back towards me and said, "C'mon, let's go." She hooked her arms into mine and we walked towards Tiffany. "KRISTEN!" The familiar voice, "Oh my god, HENRY!" I spun around and saw my friend since 1st grade, my next door neighbor for years. He opened his arms, "What, no hug?" I laughed and fell into his arms. "How come we don't have any classes together? But I have 2 with this stranger here." He pointed at Abby. She slapped him on the arm and said, "Hello to you too!" He laughed, "You know I'm just kidding, A." I glanced over at Tiffany. I could just see the steam above her little blonde head. She's had the biggest crush on Henry forever. I wondered if she still did. I looked at Abby, and like she could read my mind, she nodded. I bursted into laughter, and Henry looked at me like I was high. "Anyways, you guys wanna come over to my house? My parents aren't home and we could do whatever!" Henry suggested. But, he wouldn't. Henry wasn't the time to be a "badass" or whatever. He got straight A's all throughout high school and was a shoo-in for Valedictorian next year. He was also on the soccer team, which made him even better. He's been talking Ivy League since 8th grade, because I remember when he explained what that was to me, back then. Tiffany was just one of the many girls under his spell. I don't blame them, Henry was nice to everyone. "Yeah, sure. But I gotta get started on my Latin homework, Mrs. Reiz is one hard teacher to impress."

"Your room has not changed one bit, Henry." I noticed as I jumped onto his bunk bed. Henry had a older brother, but like Henry, he went off for college - Columbia. "Yeah, well." he shrugged and turned on his Mac. Abbey slid into the seat and grinned at Henry. He rolled his eyes and laughed and sat down in his sofa. "So, any big news?" Henry asked. I shrugged, "Nothing much. You guys know I'm not interesting."

"Are you serious? You're all over Facebook and Twitter!" Abby exclaimed. Henry laughed, "You're so stupid, Abby." She glared at him and grabbed a pillow from behind me and chucked it at Henry, causing him to fall backwards. We all burst out into laughter, and for once, finally.. I felt like I belonged.

"I'M HOME!" I called. My voice echoed throughout the empty house. But, I was only speaking to myself. I ran into the kitchen and noticed that all the boxes were unpacked. After making myself some fruit salad, I headed for my room, crossing my fingers that my boxes were unpacked. I poked my head into Tim's room, and noticed that he had photos of our time in New York all over his desk. I sat down and saw Tim, my brother - actually smiling. He had his arms around Eva, his first 'serious' girlfriend. I still remembered how hurt he looked when we moved back to California. "Hey. What are you doing here?" I snapped back from my flashback and found myself face to face with Tim. "Oh. I didn't know you came home." I said and got up. I grabbed my salad and headed back to my room. "I don't blame you, Kris." He smiled, "I love Eva, and distance won't change that."

"Yeah, I know. But you didn't have to move back. If it wasn't for me, you would have never had to leave her.""It doesn't matter anyway. And I would have never met her if you never wanted to go to New York." He shrugged and closed his door. I knew that it mattered, because he actually met someone that made him happy. And as a sister, I shouldn't be taking that away from him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:We'll Just Have To See About That.**

**I headed down the hall and into my room. I smiled when I saw that the large brown boxes didn't cover my shiny wood board floor. My phone rang in my pocket, and when I took it out, surprise, surprise, it was Tiffany. "Hey." I answered as I slid into my chair and pressed down the power button on my new laptop."It's Tiffany." she said. I noticed that her voice was stern and blasted my iPod."Yeah, I have caller ID you know." "Right. Listen, I know that we're not, well, the best of friends.""Uhm, yeah. Okay? That sure explains why you're calling me." I laughed."I need help. With guys." She stammered."Oh? Who's the lucky guy?" Tiffany Bells was a typical blondie. She had the perfect family, with the perfect boyfriend. But from what I've heard from Abby, she was currently single. I logged onto Facebook and went directly to Tiff's page. Single. Yup, I guess Abby was right."Well, that's the thing. I can't tell you because I knew you're sure to tell him. It's like he doesn't know I exist." She responded."Tiffany, not all guys go for the girls who are always the main attraction, you know? Anyway, I gotta go. My parents are home.""See you tomorrow!" And I clicked End Call. My mom knocked on my door, "Hey, Kristen. How was your day back at Santa Monica High?"I shrugged. "Same old, the similar teachers, the over competitive classmates." But we both knew she was talking about Trevor. The only people I told Trevor about was Abby, Henry and my mom. "I see. Well, I'm ordering take out. You want anything?" "No, I think I'm good. I gotta finish my homework and get a early sleep. Practice at 7 tomorrow." I sighed and plopped the last piece of tomato into my mouth. "Alright, sleep tight." and she walked out my room. 2:39 A.M. my alarm blinked. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. Did I fall asleep? I looked down in my lap and found my World History textbook in my lap, so I guess that answers that. I grabbed my pajamas and bathroom and headed towards my bathroom, when I heard slight whispering. I peeked out my door only to find the living room light still on. I tiptoed downstairs and found Tim, sitting on the couch with one phone in his ear and the remote in the other. He looked so happy, and it made me feel even worse. He looked up and saw me and waved. "Sorry, did I wake you, Kris?" "Nope, just going to sleep soon." he nodded and went back to laughing. I laid in bed and stared out my window, watching the clouds slowly glide through the dark blue sky. How did Tim manage to be so happy? Especially with, well.. everything that's been going on. He acted like there was nothing to worry about, like everything was normal. Well, it wasn't and we both knew it. I head a knock on my door and quickly closed my eyes. "Kris, you still up?" I leaned forward. "Yeah. I am. It's late, isn't it?" He chuckled and sat in my couch. "Yeah, but I can't seem to fall asleep. It only a little past midnight in New York, you know?" I bit my lip. "Oh. Eva?" But we both knew it was obviously her.**

"**Yeah. I think this whole long distance thing - ""I'm sorry, Tim. For making you leave behind Santa Monica, then again - I made you leave behind Eva and New York." I cut him off and sighed. **

"**Kristen, you're my little sister. We need to look out for each other, remember that. The long distance thing, it's going to work. I trust Eva and she trusts me. And, with mom and dad? It's going to be okay. You get some sleep, kiddo." "Henry! Hey, did you finish the homework for Art?" I nudged him. "Yeah, finished it during study period." Typical. He went on talking about last night's American Idol when Abby appeared and they laughed on about some guy who was eliminated. I leaned against the locker next to his and noticed Tiffany sitting by the window, down the hall and eyeing in my direction. What's she up to now? I rolled my eyes and tapped Henry. "We should get to class, don't wanna be late." "Yeah, me too. Stupid practice always makes me late for first period. How do you finish so fast, Kris, is beyond my knowledge." I laughed and we separated. Then, I finally got it. As Henry and I walked to class, Tiffany was still watching. Could it be? No, she wouldn't. Well, let's see. "Henry?" "Yeah?" He snapped his head out of his book bag. "I just remembered, I have to go tell Abby something. Catch you after class?" **

**He shrugged, "Okay." I quickly turned into the first door and watched Henry. Then, of course, Tiffany walked up to him. Oh my god, it is. She was smiling her biggest, and most annoying smile and flipped her hair every other second. I giggled and swiped out my phone. TO: Abby MESSAGE: Guess what, omg. I just found out what or should I say who ms. bells is after for! H E N R Y. and before I clicked send, someone cleared his throat behind me. "It's you again. We gotta stop meeting like this, you know. Are you following me?" Nate. "Following you? Please. Don't flatter yourself." I said before he could respond and ran down the hall to class."Wait, so you're serious. TIFFANY and HENRY?" She emphasized on their names. I took another bite out of my sushi and nodded. "Yeah, she's so into him. She called me last night for guy advice, and it's obviously Henry. She said he wasn't into her and we all know Tiff's not Henry's type." "What is his type, exactly? He didn't any long term girlfriends all throughout High School." Abby pointed out."Yeah, just waiting for the perf girl, maybe?" "Why don't we ask him?" I looked up and saw Henry walking in our direction. "Watch Tiffany." I whispered to Abby. We slanted our eyes and as we expected, she looked at our table and stiffened. We started laughing and I decided to make her feel like we were on to her. I waved at her and watched as her eyes grew big and she turned away. "Thought so." Abby said happily. "But why is Nate coming our way?" "Huh? Nate?" There he was, walking from the lunch line with a bottle of energy drink in his hand and his binder in the other. "Oh my god, why?""KRISTEN! What do you mean, why? Have you guys talked before?" Abby whispered."Um, yeah. We, well, encountered each other twice." I whispered back. "But -" "Hey, Kristen, right?" Nate sat down next to Henry and held out his hand. I looked at it and waved it away. "Yeah. You again? Nate?" I tried to ignore Abby's stare, so I pinched her knee. She sprang up and walked to the soda machine with held out two tickets. To the football game. "So you have tickets to the game on Friday?""Actually, spending my Friday night watching football isn't really exciting enough for me." I answered without touching the tickets. "Well, how about next time?" Nate asked nervously. His face flushed and he scrambled up, dropping his binder. I leaned down and picked it up. "You're really clumsy, aren't you, Nate?" **

"**Hah, then why would I be Captain?" He shrugged. "So what about it? Next time?""We'll just have to see about that." Nate's face went blank, so I smiled. "Catch you later?" **

**He nodded and walked over to a table of the football guys.. including Trevor, who was watching the whole scene.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:  
Did You Feel The Sparks?**

"Is this some kind of revenge, Kristen?" a voice called. I slipped my World History books and shoved the rest of my books for the weekend into my bag when I saw the familiar eyes staring at me. "Revenge?" I asked back sweetly. I felt my heart skip a beat, and I was afraid that I was going to freeze. The goose bumps raised on my arm, and I tried to hold my breath. "Who are you kidding? You wouldn't go for a guy like him, you know that you're going to get tired of him. So why waste your time?" His silky voice froze me, and I thought back to the very day we met. It was a hot out, I remember. Well, hot for a spring day. The day before Spring Break. I remember leaving class when he caught up to me, and that was when I first looked into those eyes. Everything happened so fast after that. We spent every living moment together, and it was like the world was ending when we weren't seen together. We spent the summer in each other's arms, sleeping under the stars in his backyard. He knew all my secrets, and I knew his. I thought we would be forever."Yeah? I would, actually. You don't have the right to say that. We? We have nothing." I said with all the courage I had. I swear, if he got any closer, my heart would just stop. And then, I couldn't go on my date with Nate.. Which wasn't good. Trevor chuckled. "Alright, if you say so. Keep lying to yourself. I'll be here." He took a step back and walked down the empty hallway. "You weren't there when I caught you with-" I shouted. His head turned halfway, and he sighed. "I told you, I made a mistake. I'm only human, Kris." I expected him to turn back to me, but he walked right out the doors. I choked down my tears and ran to the bathroom. I dropped my bag on the floor and locked myself in the stall. "Hello?" I heard. Shit. Someone saw us? I bit my lip and wiped my tears away. I pushed open the stall and found myself face to face with a Brianna. "Are you … okay?" she looked at me and waited for my answer, but I just looked away. I grabbed my bag and went for the door. "If you need to talk to someone, you should. It's not good to hold it in." I looked back and smiled. She smiled back and said, "I know we're not exactly friends, but I'm just saying." She shrugged and pulled her phone that was ringing. "Yeah, I'm coming." she said into the receiver. "Yeah, thanks." I said before leaving.

"So, where are we going?" I asked Nate. He called me a few hours after my … well breakdown? I went to the park nearby my house afterwards, and stayed there for a few hours. When I got back home, I found Nate at my front steps, I wasn't surprised. "Well, you love music, right? I got tickets to the Rock Jam for tonight. And then, afterwards, reservations." Nate smiled at me as we stepped out of his car. "Oh, sounds great." "You're not into it?" I looked at Nate, and noticed how incredibly cute he looked. But being on a date with Nate felt different then being with Trevor. I don't know how, it just did. "No, no. I am. I didn't think that you were." I laughed. He held out his hand and to my surprise, I took it. "I had a great time, thanks for everything, Nate." Why did I feel like I had dinner with royalty? He smiled at me and got out of the car and opened the passenger door for me. "I did, too. I'll call you later?" "Yeah, okay." He walked me to the door and we just stood there, for 5 minutes. I heard the crickets chirp and the slight piano music from my next door neighbor. I looked up at the moon, and it's rays shined through the tree above my room. "Goodnight." Nate said and, to my disbelief, he leaned in towards me. I closed my eyes and instead of feeling his lips against mine, his arms wrapped around me. I opened my eyes, "Nate?" I whispered. He held on tighter and smiled at me, like I was the most delicate thing alive. He leaned back and kissed me on the cheeks. It was definitely different. He was soft, gentle. Like everything was meant to be.

I closed the door to my bedroom and slid down to the ground. It took about a second for me to catch my breath. My mind whirred, what am I doing? I asked myself. I heard the low laughter and chatter from across the hall, coming from Tim's room. I walked over to my window and watched Nate pull out of the driveway and down the street. But from the side of my eyes, I saw something pink on my desk. Roses? _Kristen, Did you feel sparks with him like we did?_ _-T_ read the card. I shoved the flowers into my garbage can and ripped up the card. I don't need you, Trevor. I turned up the TV and tried to drown out Tim, it was almost 1 AM. I threw open his door, and found a girl sitting on his bed. "Tim?" His head stuck out of his closet. "Oh, Kristen? When'd you get home?" "About two hours ago? It's late." I raised an eyebrow. The girl on his bed looked away and picked up her bag. "I should get going, Timmy. See you Monday." She scrambled out of his room after hugging him. "Timmy? What the hell?" I practically spat at him. I loved Eva, she was like a big sister to me. "What? You were out till late, I can't have a friend over?" He went into his bathroom and came out with a shirt. "Really? Cause it's not typical for you to have a girl over till 1 AM on your fucking bed, while you're half naked." "What's gotten into you?" He screamed back as I left his room. "Me? OH NOTHING. You know, since you told me you loved Eva. All guys are cheaters. I didn't think my own brother would be one, too."

I turned my computer on and went to see if Eva was online. And sure enough, she was. _Missing you. Wish you were here. was her status. I groaned. Do I tell her? What kind of friend would I be if I didn't? But Tim's family. He's my brother. One chance, Kristen. Give him one more chance."Hey! How's California? I haven't heard from you." - Eva  
My fingers stayed frozen over the keyboard."Hey, E. It's late, talk to you tomorrow?" I typed. And SENT. I quickly logged off before anything else could happen._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five:**

**You're Not Even Worth It.**

The sun fought it's way through my curtains, and it was killing me. I rolled over and my alarm clock blinked 7:00 AM. "OH MY GOD." I screamed. I jumped out of bed and into the bathroom. "MOM! I need a ride to school, or I'm gonna be late!" I ran down the stairs and looked around for my books. They were cluttered all over the couch, from yesterday. I spent the whole Sunday moping around the house. The two people that I was going to go to for advice was cheating on his girlfriend, and the other was way with his family. Mom popped out of the kitchen, still in her PJs. "MOOOOM! C'mon, I'm going to miss first period. I have a huge French exam!" She slowly walked over to me, "Kristen, why won't you ask Tim to drive you? I'm extremely tired."  
"I don't want to see Tim." I said clearly. I reached for the doorknob. "Let's gooo!" I ran to the lawn and froze when I saw the girl on my brother's bed walk towards me house. I stalked right up to her. "Who are you?" She looked at me and ignored me. She pushed past me and walked up MY porch steps. "Excuse me?" I yelled at her. She spun around and responded, "Belle. Belle Michelson. Law major at SCU." She held out her hand as I walked towards her. I looked down at her hands and back at her face. "Get off my porch. Now." She laughed, like I was joking. "Why?" She peered down at me. "Because my BROTHER, has a girlfriend, slut."  
"I know." My jaw dropped open. Was she serious?  
"So you like being the other woman? His girlfriend's gorgeous, by the way. She has character. She's not some whore who goes around throwing themselves at guys who are taken? That's low, isn't it?"  
"You're such a kid. Kristen, is it? Timmy's told me so much about you!" she gushed.  
"Please, so did he tell you that his girlfriend's practically part of my family? My parents are crazy about her, and so is Tim. She's a sister, and you're just wasting your time."  
"Long distance relationships, they never work." She smiled. But I knew that I was getting to her. I glanced at my phone. Shit. It was 7:39 AM. "He's IN love her. Not you, okay? Besides, after graduation, she's coming out here, or Tim's going to New York." I said, before Tim came out. Belle blinked a few times, and then walked right down the steps and back down the street. Tim called out, and then turned to me. "Kristen, what did you say! This is none of your business!" He yelled at me. Dad appeared at the door with a cup of coffee in his hand and a briefcase in the other. "What's going on?" He asked, but slipped into his car in the matter of seconds. "I don't know, Tim. Eva asked me how's California last night. So, tell me, Tim. How is it? How should I tell her that that your cheating?" Tim's face turned red. "What are you talking about? I love Eva."  
"Yeah? You're not proving it. You're my older brother, and I can't even look up to you anymore. You're a disappointment." I ran down the driveway and jumped into the car with dad, leaving Tim frozen in the front door."What's going on with you and Tim?" Dad questioned as he turned the block."Nothing." I looked out the window.. and found Trevor walking - with Abby. Oh my god. They were laughing. I took in a deep breath and asked my dad to slow down. I watched Trevor take out that tiny guitar key chain he had, the one that I gave him a long time ago. "I can't believe he still has that." I whispered to myself. "What's that, honey?" Dad leaned over. "Shh! Nothing, Dad." Abby put her hands over her mouth and laugh like Trevor was the funniest guy ever. I rolled down a window and heard them giggling. I couldn't believe this. "Faster, Dad. Just get me out of here." I held back the tears as the wind blew my hair on the way to school.  
I quickly put my bag and took out my French binder, before anyone could see my puffy eyes. Why am I even crying? I rushed towards the stairs, hoping no one would notice that Abby wasn't with me. "Kristen? KRISTEN!" Henry was at the top of the stairs, and he rushed down to me. "What happened?" I looked at him, and said, "Trevor. Abby." He sighed, and I knew that he understood. That's the thing with Henry. He just, got me. I don't know how. But he did. He hugged me, as the rest of the school walked past us. But from the top of the stairs, I saw Trevor leaning against the side of someone's locker. It wasn't Abby's. I stared, but regretted it the moment I saw another girl appear. She smiled up at him, the same smile that every girl had when they looked at him. And as the bell rung, I watched him walk away with her.

"Le temps est en haut!" my teacher yelled. I looked over my exam papers for the third and final time, and walked up to the desk and placed my papers down. I couldn't even concentrate, I thought to myself. Abby. Trevor. No, why should I care? Trevor's an ass, we're over. What about the "no dating my best friend's ex-boyfriend" rule? "Kristen! Hey, where were you in homeroom today?" Abby ran up to me. I stared at her. Did she really think that I would be fine? "Oh. I was late." We stood in the middle of the hallway, and she stared back at me. "What's wrong, why are your eyes all pink?""Nothing. I gotta go." I moved by her and caught up with a few other girls from dance. I could just feel her confused stare right at my back. Afterall, we had the next class together. "OKAY. GIRLS! Today, we're going to have laps, only. Go get changing!" Coach Henderson blew her whistle and all the girls in my swim class ran into the locker rooms. I changed as fast as I could, hoping that I wouldn't have to encounter Abby. Her locker was right across from mine. But she caught up with me and pulled me aside before I got the chance to dive in. "Kris, what's wrong? Why have you been ignoring me all day? It's 9th period and you barely spoke a word to me since French." She crossed her arms and waited for me. "Abby, I told you. Nothing. Just having a bad day." "Why won't you talk to me? Is it about Nate?" I haven't even thought about him all day, and in fact - I didn't even see him since Saturday. "What? No. Would you let it go?""Let what go? You never call, and the only time I see you now days is during school. You didn't even show up for lunch." Abby said softly. She sounded hurt. Do I blame her? She was right, I've been a horrible friend. "Meet me after school, by the back building." I said and walked over to the diving board. In the reflection of the clear blue water, I saw Abby looking at me, more confused then ever.


End file.
